The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is a duel time line work of historical fiction . I am interested in any book that takes place during the Tudor era. I especially enjoy stories that are about characters other than the usual suspects. Elizabeth Barton … the maid of Kent… was a young woman who claimed she had visions from God regarding the marriage of Henry the VIII and Anne Boylen. The story portrays a young woman caught up in the frenzy that is both manipulated and used by the clergy trying to stop England’s division from the Catholic Church.
The modern story is about a women Allison, a historian that has found the lost book of Elizabeth Barton. This story becomes a typical English closed door mystery. This part of the story was a little less successful for me.
Thanks to net galley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a pleasant surprise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book!

A dual timeline historical fiction novel with a murder mystery. It was really interesting reading about this time in history. I enjoy historical fiction novels, but most are about WWI/WWII so this was a breathe of fresh air for me to learn more about the Tudor/Reformation era!

Highly recommended.

This debut novel is both captivating and enlightening. Before picking it up, I’d never heard of Elizabeth Barton; now I feel genuinely enriched by her remarkable story and the history surrounding her. The author’s dual-timeline narrative is expertly woven—each period illuminating the other—so the plot never loses momentum while delivering plenty of well-researched detail. Informative without ever feeling heavy-handed, the book combines vivid characterization with a historian’s eye for accuracy. An impressive first effort; I look forward to whatever Ms. Brown writes next.

This is an excellent book that I couldn't put down. There are two time lines, one in the 1500's and the other in the present. Both center around the mystery of Elizabeth Barton, a real person known as the Holy Maid of Kent, whose was believed by some prominent men to have the gift of prophesy. Most people in Elizabeth's time were Catholic, but this was a dangerous time for Catholics. Henry VIII wanted to divorce his barren wife because he needed an heir. To accomplish this, he separated the Church of England from the Pope's authority, and was thorough in squashing dissent. The common people believed in Elizabeth's prophecies which was a problem for Henry, since her prophesies did not favor him.

Fast forward to the present where a group of historians visit a manor where they plan to spend time on their various projects. It is an honor to be invited, and Alison Sage was invited because she had recently found a rare copy of the book of Elizabeth's prophecies. The manor house also near to where Elizabeth Barton had lived, another bonus for Alison. The book took an unexpected turn near the end. I never saw that coming.

I received an e-arc from the publisher St. Martin's Press via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

I think often in a dual timeline, the reader can have one timeline that becomes so much their preference that they race through the other timeline to get back to the one that they like. Brown did a good job of making sure that each section was compelling enough to keep you engaged, but the book never felt unbalanced between the timelines. The history was beautifully drawn, and the plot was well-put together.

This upcoming dual timeline story is one that will surely be an enjoyable one for everyone who reads it. The modern timeline follows the story of a historian who comes across some information that was thought to be lost from a nun who lived in the sixteenth century. I was very impressed because the historical time period took place during the Tudor era which happens to be one of my favorite era's. I admired the work ethic of the modern day historian as she worked hard to uncover the truth of the sixteenth century.

In the sixteenth century we are introduced to Elizabeth Barton who starts out her days working on her Uncle's farm. After a bout with illness she decides to become a nun. However, she keeps having these visions regarding the crumbling marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. However, she speaks out against the relationship of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn predicting that no good will come from it.

The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton is absolutely perfect. Two of my favorite genres meshed together in one, the perfect combination of murder mystery and historical fiction revolving around 16th century English royalty.

I enjoyed every bit of this novel. The plot and the characters captivated me.

Perfect for fans of Phillipa Gregory and Allison Weir and everything mysterious and tragic and dark about old English royalty, specifically Elizabeth 1, Mary Queen of Scots and Henry viii.

Jennifer N. Brown hit the spot with this one and completely wowed me. I can't wait to discover more from this author.
Highly recommend!

Did you love AP European history? This is the book for you! It combined a lot of genres that I love: thriller, dark academia, mystery, historical fiction. I really enjoyed the mystery element to the story and how it lined up with both timelines. I would highly recommend this book!